Modular transportable shelters are useful for a variety of purposes including, for example, housing, storage, work space, and protection from the elements. Providing a modular transportable shelter permits one to easily transport, assemble and disassemble a shelter in an area where shelter may not be available, such as a military field or an area that was affected by a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or typhoon, for example. It is also desirable that such shelters do not need specialized tools for assembly and disassembly as such tools are often unavailable in the areas described above, and would also likely require intensive labor efforts or specialized skilled laborers.
While there are various shelters available which can be easily assembled and disassembled, such shelters often fail to maintain a secure shelter. Indeed, the shelters known in the art are often not sturdy enough to sustain the force of gravity, wind, rain, etc. post-assembly. Such shelters are likely to collapse without warning, thus creating a hazard to those within the shelter. Shelters known in the art which can actually withstand the force of gravity, wind, rain, etc. post-assembly are typically very complex, making them difficult to assemble, often requiring specialized tools and/or labor.
Known in the art are prefabricated post and beam shelters which incorporate a plurality of posts and beams. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,242 to Gilliland. However, such post and beam shelters require many parts to the form the post and beam frame system and require some sort of additional structure to cover the open spaces created by the post and beam frame system, which often result in an unnecessarily heavy shelter, which can be difficult to adequately support. Indeed, shelters using post and beam frame systems require many posts as such posts must be displaced a small distance from one another.
Heretofore unknown is a shelter which can be easily assembled and taken down which includes a plurality of panels which are connected by interlocking finger joints and are further secured by a plurality of unique mortise and tenon joints, so as to create a shelter which is adequately supported. It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a shelter which is easily assembled and disassembled, and adequately supported by a plurality of wall and roof panels which are connected by interlocking finger joints and are further secured by a plurality of unique mortise and tenon joints.
A mortise is a aperture or slot cut into any type of material or stock. A tenon is a projection, typically on one end of any type of material or stock, which is inserted into a mortise. The length and width of the tenon is typically less than the than length and width of the mortise in which the tenon is disposed. When the tenon is inserted into the mortise, a mortise and tenon joint is formed. Mortise and tenon joints have been used for centuries to join separate members to one another. Mortise and tenon joints are some of the strongest joints known and can be used for a wide variety of purposes.
Conventional mortise and tenon joints incorporate a mortise which mates exactly with the tenon. In other words, the tenon fills the mortise completely, leaving no gaps or space between the mortise and tenon once the tenon is inserted into the mortise. Creating a tenon that fits intimately within a mortise typically involves reducing the size of the tenon so that the tenon is the same size as the mortise in which the tenon is inserted.
The mortise and tenon are typically disposed such that the tenon forms a 90 degree angle with respect to the mortise in which the tenon is inserted. It is known in the art that forming a joint in which the tenon forms a 90 degree angle with respect to the mortise in which the tenon is inserted, results in a strong joint, and is hence typically desirable. However, one may desire to attach a mortise and tenon at various angles, depending on the user's specific requirements. In order to attach one material to another material at different angles of attachment, the shoulder of the mortise may be beveled such that the tenon may be inserted into the mortise at the angle desired. Whether the mortise and tenon are at a 90 degree angle with respect to one another, or any other angle, once the tenon is inserted into the mortise, the resulting mortise and tenon joint can be secured by fastening one member to the other using bolts, nails, wedges or other fasteners.
Mortise and tenon joints may be secured using a conventional dovetail joint. Such mortise and tenon joints may be secured (or locked into place) using a dovetail joint in which one or more pins extend from the end of one member, and interlock with one or more tails cut into the end of a separate member, thus joining the two members. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 187,962 to Cantrell; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,212 to Rhyne. As such, mortise and tenon joints may be secured (or locked into place) using a dovetail aperture or slot across a tenon and a wedge of similar dovetail cross-section such that the dovetail cross-section is contained within the dovetail aperture when the tenon is inserted into the mortise. In other words, when the tenon is inserted into the mortise, the wedge is moved along the dovetail aperture until it is firmly engaged within the dovetail aperture so as to lock the two members together and prevent them from separating until the wedge is removed. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,489 to Kantorowich and U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,598 to Winter IV. Known in the art are mortise and tenon dovetail joints which avoid the protrusion of the tenon beyond the mortise by incorporating a tenon which is shorter than the width of the material in which the mortise is cut (sometimes referred to as a stub tenon). See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,093,023 to Alta; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,302 to Johnson.
Mortise and tenon joints may also be secured through means other than a dovetail joint. For example, a mortise and tenon joint in which one material has two mortises and another material has two tenons, may be locked together by inserting the tenons into the mortises and rotating the former. U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,719 to Otto, et al. Alternatively, a mortise and tenon joint may include a self-locking plate on each of the two members to be attached so as to secure the mortise and tenon joint after the tenon is inserted into the mortise. U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,020 to Winston. Further, a mortise and tenon joint may be fastened after the tenon is inserted into the mortise by a locking means, such as a pin or dowel which extends through each of the two members to be attached, which fastens the two members. U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,881 to Gilliand; U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,796 to Metzler.
Mortises and tenons can be cut using a variety of tools, including both hand tools and power tools. For example, a tenon can be made using a hand saw or with a radial arm saw or table saw with a tenoning jig; while a mortise may be cut using a router, drill press, or mortising machine.
Conventional mortise and tenon joints are constructed of various materials, each having different characteristics, such as thickness, size, hardness, and specific gravity, thus requiring a plurality of tools to conform each component of the mortise and tenon joint to the desired size and shape.
Heretofore unknown is a mortise and tenon joint in which all the components of the joint can be cut or simply formed using a Computer Numerical Controlled Router (CNC Router) or similar device using a rotary cutting tool. It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a mortise and tenon joint in which all components of the joint are formed using a Computer Numerical Controlled Router (CNC Router) or similar device using a rotary cutting tool, which can then be assembled without the use of specialized tools.
Conventional mortise and tenon joints are assembled using a plurality of tools, since conventional mortise and tenon joints typically constructed of various materials, each having different characteristics, such as thickness, size, hardness, and specific gravity. It is an object of the instant invention to provide a shelter which can be assembled and disassembled without the use of specialized tools or extensive labor.
Other objects of the instant invention will be observable through a complete study of the specification, drawings and claims herein. Objects of the instant invention are provided as examples and are not intended to be limitive of the scope of the protection herein.